HVM STATUS GP FORCED TO RETIRE FROM THE LE MANS 24 HOURS DUE TO ACCIDENT

Le Mans, June 23 2013 - HVM Status GP was forced to retire from the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hours when its Lola-Judd B12/80 Coupe suffered an accident at the Porsche Curves shortly before half-distance.

Canadian Tony Burgess was on the first flying lap of his night-time stint at just after quarter past two in the morning when he left the road in the VISIT FLORIDA-backed car. The impact was heavy, but Burgess was able to climb out of the car and walk to a waiting ambulance.

He was taken to the circuit medical centre and subsequently transported to hospital with bruising for further standard precautionary checks.

The HVM Status GP Lola had enjoyed a trouble-free run for the first 11 hours, and at the time of the accident was lying in 13th position in the hotly-contested LMP2 class, within two laps of the top eight out of the field of 22 cars. Burgess had already driven a triple stint during the evening.

Britain’s Johnny Mowlem had taken over the car just after the quarter-distance mark and recorded the team’s two fastest laps of the Le Mans week very early in his triple stint. Then Swiss racer Jonathan Hirschi drove a triple stint, during which, like Mowlem, he set a consistent pace as the team sought to climb the leaderboard.

HVM Status GP technical director Rob Arnott said: “Track conditions were very difficult when Tony took over – it was night time, it was getting cold and it was slippery.

“It was obviously a great relief when we saw him walk away from the accident. Many of the components are completely destroyed but the safety cell and everything else stood up to the impact incredibly well and it all absorbed the impact.

“The Lola is a very safe car, and I have to say that the fact that it is a coupe minimised the risk to Tony, because he was protected from any parts that came loose in the impact. We are obviously bitterly disappointed about what happened, but thankful for the safety standards in our car.”

The HVM Status GP Lola was racing in the livery of new primary sponsor VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, and carried the branding of VISIT FLORIDA’s travel planning website VISITFLORIDA.com, Viva Florida 500 and Brand USA.

About HVM Racing:
HVM Racing was founded by Keith Wiggins and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 2012 season marks its eleventh year of competition since forming in 2001. Since its inception, HVM Racing has earned six victories, two pole positions, 22 podiums, 40 top-five finishes and 97 top-tens. The team also earned "Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year" honors with current driver Simona De Silvestro in 2010. HVM finished fourth and third, respectively, in the Champ Car World Series in 2006 and 2007, and earned drivers Mario Dominguez and Robert Doornbos Rookie of the Year honors in 2002 and 2007, respectively.
Follow HVM Racing at www.hvmracing.com, on twitter at www.twitter.com/HVMracing, and on facebook at www.facebook.com/HVMRacing.

About Status GP:
Based in Silverstone, England, Status Grand Prix was formed in 2005 to campaign the A1 Team Ireland franchise in the new A1 Grand Prix Series. The team's shareholders are comprised of former Jordan Grand Prix head of Marketing Mark Gallagher, former FIA Formula One World Championship driver David Kennedy, and Teddy Yip, Jr., who's father Teddy Yip owned the Theodore Racing Formula One team. The team captured the A1 GP season championship in 2008-2009 and has been competing in the GP3 series under the Status Grand Prix banner since 2010, finishing second in the team championship. Follow Status Grand Prix at www.statusgp.com or on twitter @StatusGrandPrix.com or on Facebook atstatusgrandprix.